Hemsworth put a 3.5-carat Neil Lane ring on Miley's finger in May 2012.

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At the time the former Disney star expressed her delight their relationship was moving forward, sharing: "I'm so happy to be engaged and look forward to a life of happiness with Liam."

Rumours surfaced the couple had postponed the nuptials in April after Cyrus' ring finger remained bare in a number of snaps.

However, the couple put on a united front in August when the American pop star attended her Australian beau's Paranoia film premiere.

They also spent time together in Toronto, Canada while Hemsworth filmed Cut Bank and Cyrus took the opportunity to parade her bling.

The news comes after Cyrus has dominated news headlines around the world swinging naked on wrecking balls and licking sledgehammers - all in the name of artistic endeavour.

But don't be too quick to judge: it's a tough life for a mid-tier pop star trying to reinvent herself in a noisy media space.

Cyrus has been working hard to promote her new album, Bangerz, a campaign which peaked at the Video Music Awards on August 25 with a startling performance alongside singer Robin Thicke that involved a foam finger.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, that performance is now the subject of more than 150 complaints to America's Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the US equivalent of New Zealand's The Broadcasting Standards Authority,

If the FCC decides there is a case to pursue, it can fine broadcasters for breaching America's broadcasting codes.

The most infamous FCC case in recent history was the CBS network broadcast of the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show in which Janet Jackson's breast was exposed for roughly half of one second.

The FCC fined CBS a record US$550,000, but the fine was overturned on appeal.

Cyrus, 20, and Hemsworth, 23, have been dating since 2010.

They became engaged in May, 2012.

"I'm so happy to be engaged and look forward to a life of happiness with Liam," Cyrus said at the time.

Speaking to the October issue of America's Harper's Bazaar magazine, Cyrus addressed her pending wedding with Hemsworth

When asked in the interview, undertaken before the news of their split, about their big day she replied: "I definitely don't have time to deal with a wedding right now. But I will at some point."